Dozens of parents lined up to express frustration over a student-athlete recruitment scandal involving an Alexandria, Virginia, high school at a contentious Fairfax County School Board meeting Thursday night.
At the meeting, which lasted well into the night, Fairfax County Public Schools Superintendent Michelle Reid apologized for the confusing way in which she and the school district handled the situation.
“The buck stops with me, and I’m responsible for the situation,” Reid said. “I am sorry to every single athlete that’s been impacted negatively by this situation, every coach that’s been impacted, every family member, fan and community member.”
A school system investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing, but the Virginia High School League banned the Hayfield Secondary School’s football team from the postseason for two years after it determined the Hawks violated recruitment rules.
The complaint that launched the investigation stemmed from 14 transfers who came to Hayfield with head football coach Darryl Overton from Woodbridge’s Freedom High School, his former school where he won two straight state championships.
A judge struck the ban down on Nov. 15 following a lawsuit brought on by a group of Hayfield parents seeking to overturn the VHSL’s decision. The ruling allowed the Hawks to play one playoff game before ultimately withdrawing from the postseason on Nov. 26 amid allegations of exploiting a possible housing loophole to help players transfer by then-athletic director Monty Fritts.
During Thursday’s meeting, school board members revealed that an additional 17 football players transferred to Hayfield from other schools in the region, for a total of 31 new student-athletes joined the Hawks in time for the football season.
Since the beginning of the controversy, Reid defended Hayfield and its use of transfer players, pointing to the school district’s internal investigation into the matter that was launched in April 2024. She sent a letter to parents confirming her support for the Hawks and the school district’s investigation on Nov. 15 after the judge’s decision to strike down the ban.
Days after Hayfield’s removal from the playoffs, Reid told WTOP that the school division is planning an external investigation into transfer procedures and protocols across all sports and schools, “just to make sure that we don’t have a circumstance like this arise again,
“This is at best a demonstration of indifference and at worst, a dereliction of duty,” said parent Daren Krellwitz. “It’s a betrayal that’s destroyed the community’s confidence in FCPS leaders.”
“If something of this high profile is being botched, what is happening to our most vulnerable student population in scenarios where the media isn’t covered,” asked parent Martha Hess.
The school board plans to discuss the hiring an external law firm to review its student-athlete transfer practices at its next meeting on Dec. 19.
WTOP’s Scott Gelman contributed to this report.
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